Calcutta High Court on Thursday declined to grant interim “blanket protection” to Abhishek Banerjee, National General Secretary and MP of the Trinamool Congress (TMC), in connection with multiple cases filed against him across West Bengal. The matter was heard in the court of Justice Saugata Bhattacharyya, who observed that there was insufficient legal basis at this stage to extend a comprehensive safeguard covering all FIRs lodged in different parts of the state.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Banerjee, argued that his client was facing a series of FIRs being filed “one after another” in various districts. He submitted that three additional FIRs had been registered recently and contended that requiring separate legal action in each case would be impractical. Sibal urged the court to provide a consolidated protection applicable to all present and future cases.
However, the court raised key concerns over the feasibility of such a request. Justice Bhattacharyya questioned how cases originating from different jurisdictions could be combined and heard together, and what legal framework would justify granting a blanket protection order across multiple FIRs.
Making its position clear, the court declined to grant any interim relief. No protection was extended even in relation to the eight cases currently filed against Banerjee. As a result, the plea seeking comprehensive protection was not entertained at this stage.
During the proceedings, Sibal cited a precedent involving the then Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, where the High Court had previously granted protection in connection with multiple cases and directed that no new FIRs be registered without prior court approval. He argued for similar relief for Banerjee.
The court, however, did not accept this argument for now.
The matter has been posted for further hearing on July 30. The court also noted that Banerjee’s legal team may approach it if any coercive action is taken by the police in the interim.
By Pranab Mondal